A man has been charged with spying against America, while ten others were accused of helping him send military secrets to Russia.

The group is accused of plotting to send controlled military technology to Russia as part of an alleged military export ring between October 2008 and 2012.

The indictment alleges Alexander Fishenko and accomplices sold cutting-edge microelectronics through the Houston-based Arc Electronics company he owned.

US authorities say the millionaire fooled the Department of Commerce into thinking his company made traffic lights when it was actually supplying the Russians with sophisticated microelectronics that could be used in weapon systems.

The export of such technology to Russia is subject to strict government controls because of their potential to be used in a wide range of military systems.

Image Caption:Russian spy Anna Chapman was deported from the US in 2010

This includes radar and surveillance, weapons guidance and detonation triggers, some of which Russia does not produce domestically.

Fishenko - an immigrant from Kazakhstan - is further alleged to be involved in money laundering and operating inside the US as an unregistered agent of the Russian government.

He is reportedly being held in custody with seven others in Houston.

The Justice Department said the three other suspects were in Russia including Sergei Klinov, identified as CEO of Apex System, which it said served as a certified supplier of military equipment to Russia's government, working through subsidiaries.

Mr Klinov said he had learned about the accusations from media reports.

"Honestly, I am very upset. I just don't know what to say. Everyone has his own truth and it is somewhere in the middle," he told Reuters.

Asked whether he worked either for the security services or for the Defence Ministry, he said: "I am floored by this. I don't know what I'm supposed to say."